Creating the Padawans

Penn High School Mock Trial team included several novices.

Penn High School Mock Trial team included several novices.

April 25, 2007|KIM KILBRIDE Tribune Staff Writer

Some of them might've begun the season as apprentices, but when it was all said and done, the Padawans, from Penn High School, all showed they are worthy of the title of Jedi knight. The team, so named because their adviser is a self-described "Star Wars" geek, captured a third-place finish at the state Mock Trial finals recently. Considering the Padawans had just two returning senior members and faced fierce competition at the state finals, Penn's coach, Richard Sypel, said he's extremely proud of his protégés. For the students, though, the season was bittersweet. They had a blast working with attorneys Rob Gonderman, Kenneth Hays and Deb Hays, learning how to build a civil case, and a defense (because they have to present both sides), but these hardworking teens say they intended to bring home the trophy. In the end, it just wasn't to be. The heavy hitting Renegades from Adams High School, took the top prize at state for the seventh straight year. Historically, Penn's Mock Trial teams have fared well in competition, sending a team to state every year for the past decade or so, Sypel said. Five years ago, a Penn team came in second there -- the best showing ever for the high school. Still, the Padawans, who actually had to recruit team members, are special, Sypel said. "They bonded very quickly. ... It's been a long time since we've had a team that worked as hard as these guys did and were as dedicated to winning championships," he said. Bryan Jones, a senior Padawan, said, "You practice to get to first, not second." But Jones, along with Padawan members Dan Marshall, Sean Gonderman, Gautham Vaidyanathan, all seniors, Ruvi Chauhan, Becky Gerber, and Annie Sauer, juniors, and Shirin Baradaran, a sophomore, have few regrets. Vaidyanathan, who along with Marshall, was one of two returning seniors on the team, said the experience has left him better able to think on his feet and construct an argument. And, all of the members have fond memories of lighthearted (and a few side-splitting) moments they experienced while constructing the civil case, which centered on the damage done by a teenage vandal. The Padawans started meeting in November, around the time the case was released to Mock Trial teams around the state. They practiced once a week, but increased that threefold once the competitive season rolled around. During the week before the state finals, the teens met daily after school. Their devotion has left their coach praising them weeks after the season's end. "This team was the strongest and most willing to learn," Sypel said. "Thus, the Padawans were created." Staff writer Kim Kilbride: kkilbride@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6554